The Psychological Development Of Children Who Have Been...

The Psychological Development of Children who have been Sexually Abused Crissie Adams Dixie State University Abstract The aim of this paper is to understand the effects of children who have been sexual abuse, and the affects it has with psychological disorders and attachment issues later in life. The issues that will be discussed will regard interpersonal problems and the effects of secure, avoidant, and anxious attachment styles among young child victims. The Psychological Development of Children who have been Sexually Abused Before we are born there is an attachment, a bond that forms between the mother and the child. From the moment we take our first breath into the world our parents tend to our†¦show more content†¦We often wonder what happens to a child who has been sexually, physically, and emotionally abused. What kind of psychological disorders do they develop? What kind of damage has been done to the brain for the child to then act out inappropriately? What kind of possible physiological disorders could the child then start to develop? We’ve seen that their relationships are affected in every stage of life. We are becoming more and more aware of a serious problem over the last several decades. The horrors of sexual abuse to children has been continuously gaining attention. Child sexual abuse is any sexual contact with a child through the use of force, threat, or deceit to secure the child’s participation, or any sexual contact with a child who is incapable of consenting by virtue of age, disability, or power (Finkelhor, 1990b). In a study done by Shapiro, Kaplow, Amays-Jackson and Dodge (2012), approximately 6% of children suffer some form of sexual abuse each year. A range of psychological problems are associated with children who have been sexually abused. They are also at a substantially increased risk of psychopathology (Molnar, Buka, Kessler, 2001) especially in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They also show signs of generalized anxiety, depression, dissociation, attention problems, aggressive behavior and conduct problems, and even suicidal behaviors and substance abuse. There is an extent to their well-being and everyday